Type-writing machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. YAMBLER;

TYPE WRITING MAGHINB. No. 306,045. Patented Oct. 7', 1884.

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(No Model.) 1 SheetsSheet 2.

" J. A. AMBLER.

, TYPE WRITING MACHINE. No. 306,045. Patented Oct. 7, 1884.

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iSheets-Sheet 3.

Patented Oct. 7, 1884.

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TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

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(No Model.)

(No Model.) Q I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. A. AMBLER,

TYPE WRITING MAGHINE. No. 306,045. Patented 0m. '7, 1884.

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Uivrrsn STATES PATE T @rFicn.

JAMES A. AMBLER, OF NATIGK, MASSACHUSETTS.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 306,045, dated October'7, 1884.

Application filed November 516, 1883. (N model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

" Be it known that 1, JAMES A. AMBLER, of

Natick, county of Middlesex, State of Massaohusetts, have invented anImprovement in Type-Writers, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a simple, durable,inexpensive, and rapidly-operating type writer. proved apparatus Iemploy a thin metallic rotating flexible disk, called a printing-plate,it having the characters to be printed formed upon it by electrotyping.This printing-plate is depressed at suitable times by an impression-plunger, which strikes the upper side of and causes the said plateto descenduntil the character to be printed on the paper strikes againstthe usual inking-ribbon. The impression-lever which acts to depress theimpression-plunger also aetuates a second lever or arm, which efiectsthe movement of a wedge and a sliding spring-held ratchet-bar, whichinsures the lateral movement of the carriage and roller which supportsthe paper to properly space the letters, as will be described.

The particular features which constitute my invention will behereinafter more fully set forth, and specified in the claims at the endof this specification.

Figure 1 in side elevation represents a typewriter embodying myinvention; Fig. 2, a top view thereof with the carriage and papersupporting and feeding roller'pulled out. In this figure the arm I),fully shown in Figs. 1 and 9, is omitted, Fig. 3, a side view of theapparatus, Fig. 1, above the table, a part of the frame-work andkey-holding head being broken out to show parts inside of it, the arm 1;and all but one key being omitted. Fig. 4 represents a portion of theprinting-plate; Fig. 5, a detail showing the impression-plunger,printing-plate, and ink-ribbon and means to guide the same. Fig. 6represents one of the keys detached; Fig. 7, a detail of the wedge formoving the ratchet-bar; Fig. 8, a section of Fig. 7 on the line ac; Fig.9, an underside view of the key-holding head, the shaft 1) and sleeve bbeing in section, some of the parts being broken out to more clearlyshow their construction; Fig. 10, a detail showing the In my imbelt, A",extended over a belt-pulley, A* fast on the said shaft. The belt Aderives its movement from a pulley, A, fast on the shaft A which inpractice will be rotated by any usual or suitable friction or clutchgearing set in motion by a treadle, A. As herein shown, the trcadle isjoined by rod A with one end of a lever, A, carrying a friction-pawl, Awhich engages a flange, A, of a gear, A, which engages a pinion, A. (Seedotted lines on the shaft A The gear A may have a flange at its otherside to be engaged by a second friction-pawl set in motion by secondtreadle, if desired, as common in sewing-ma chine motors. The gear andfriction-pawls and treadles are old, so need not be herein furtherdescribed.

The lever A" has a link, B, loosely connected with the impression-levera,pivoted at a on an ear of the frame-work. This lever, between itsends, acts upon the upper end of the impressionplunger a. (Shown clearlyin Figs. 1, 3, and 5.) made of two arms joined by a loop, (0 and a bar,a". The impression-plunger a is provided with ahead, a having anindia-rubher or other soft or elastic pad, a,'to strike against theupper side of the thin flexible annular metal printing-plate b,,havingthereon letters, characters, &c., suitable for printing, as at 2, thesaid plate being formed by the process known as electrotyping. Theplunger a is normally held up by a spring, a The shaft A has fast on ita bevel-gear, b, which engages a bevel-gear, b fast upon the sleeve bhaving attached to it a ratchetwheel, I). (See Figs. 1, 3, and 9.) Thesleeve 1) and its attached parts are loose on the shaft b which, at itslower end, has attached to it the printing-plate I), while above theratchet b the said shaft has attached to it (see Figs. 1 and 9) the hubof the arm I), which has pivoted upon it a pawl-like elbow-lever, I).Fig. 9.) The ratchet If on the sleeve is driven constantly, and when thehook of the The impression-lever is (See 7 teeth of the said ratchet I)the arm I) will be rotated in unison with the said ratchet, and willeffect the rotation of the shaft I) and the printing-plate b. Theprinting-plate having, as stated, characters to indicate all the lettersof the alphabet and suitable characters for punctuation, &c., or suchcharacters as are used in printing, has to be stopped with that one ofits characters which is next to be used immediately below theimpressionplunger a", with the said character immediately over thepaper-supporting roller or surface d, and over the usual ink-ribbon,d,which is guided at or near the printing-point between a perforatedstrip of india-rubber,dfianda perforated metal plate, (1 (shown best incross-section, Fig. 5,) the said parts at and d protecting the saidtyperibbon and preventing its upper side from being injured by thecharacters 011 the printing plate I) as the latter is being rotated, andpreventing the under side of the said plate from soiling the paper whichis being printed upon.

The key-holding head of the apparatus has, as herein shown, threeannular series of holes to receive three series of sliding keys, 6, eachmarked upon thetop of its head, as shown in Fig. 2, to designate aparticular letter or character, which is to be reproduced by printing.Each key is supported by a suitable spring, 6, so that its lower end iselevated above the range of the arm in its rotation, and by depressingany one of the said keys its lower end may be made to constitute a stopfor the said arm, and consequently stop the shaft 1) and printing-plateb, with the character thereon corresponding with that shown on the saidkey in the exact position to be struck by the impression-plunger a tocause the said character upon the plate I), it cooperatingwith theink-ribbon, to leave its impression in proper place upon the paper.

The arm I) is stopped in the following manner, viz: The outer end of theelbowlike pawl-lever b strikes against the end of the depressed key, andthereafter further movement of the arm causes the said pawl to bedisengaged from the said ratchet-wheel, the disengagement of the saidpawl causing the arm and its connected shaft and parts to stop. Toprevent backward movement or rebound of the said shaft and printingplatewhen the arm is checked,as described, Ihave applied to the shaft 12 acollar, 9*, and between the said collar and the hub of the arm b,I haveplaced a friction device composed of a plate, f, having an arm orprojection, f,( suitably engaged with a fixed part of the frame at f,Figs. 2 and 3, to restrain it from rotation,) and a spring, f the latteracting to force the plate f down, preferably against a felt or otherwasher, f (shown in black in Figs. 3 and 9,) interposed between the saidplate and the hub of the arm b. (See Figs. 1 and 9.)

As herein shown, the projection f of the plate f is entered between twopins, f f. This friction device has sufficient strength to stop the armI) and hold it at the point occupied by it just as when the pawl is fully released from the ratchet b". The outer end of the pawl is enoughlonger than the arm Z) to extend across the series of keys, whatever maybe their number, so as to be stopped by any one key of either series,and this pawl has bearing against it a suitable spring, 9, which has twoofficesviz., one to lessen the shock when arresting the arm I), and theother to turn the hooked end of the pawl toward the ratchet-wh eel b" assoon as the key holding the plate I) to be arrested, as described, andthen, I

with his foot' upon the treadle, will cause the depression of the levera and the plunger a", which will strike the plate and cause it, acttingthrough the ribbon d, to print upon the The roller (1, to supportthepaper, has 7 paper. its bearings in a'carriage, h, provided at oneside with suitable wheels,h, adapted to run on a track, it", and at itsother side the said carriage has ears provided each with two wheels orlOllS,7L ,tO bear both above and below a rod, h", which serves not onlyas a track, but also as a fulcrum, about which the said carriage may beturned when it is desired to get at the under side of the roll or thepaper thereon.

This carriage has a small roller, h which has fixed bearings, butpivoted upon the j ournals'oi' the roller (2 are bearings 5, whichreceive the journals of a second roller, h, which is thus adapted to beswung in the are of a circle about but close to the periphery of theroller (1. The carriage It has at its under side a shelf, 6, on which islaid the sheet of paper, which is led over the roller orsupportingsurface (I, to be printed upon while the sameis being fed bythe rollers d and 7L6. Theleading end of the paper is passed under theroller (Z up in front of it, and between the said roller and the rollerh and the roller h, which latter at such time is thrown over, so as tooccupy a position next to the roll h. The roller or support (Z for thepaper opposite the point at which the impression is made has at one endof it a ratchet, 7, which is engaged by a pawl on a pawl-carrier, 8, sothat the said roller may be turned step by step as is necessary to feedthe paper and effect the proper spacing of the lines, as usual. Theleading end of the paper having been introduced between the rollers dand h, the pawl carrier is turned to rotate the roller (1, and at thesame time the roller h, resting on it and on the end of the sheet, ismoved in unison with it until the said' roller h reaches the positionshown in Fig. 1, after which further rotation of the roller (2 causesthe paper to be carried forward by it, the paper running freely underthe rolls 705 lbs, which act as presser-rollers. After printing eachletter the carriage and the rolls thereon must be moved longitudinallyto properly space the letters. To do this I have provided the carriagewith a pawl, 10, which will be made to engage the right-hand tooth ofthe bar 12. (See Fig. 3.) In Fig. 3 the carriage h is shown as movedinto its farthest position to the right, so as to permit the paper to beapplied to the roller (1, which having been done, as described, thecarriage will be slid along to the left until the end of the rack-bar1', attached to the carriage l1, strikes the projection 13 of the wedge14, held in the guide-block attached to the fixed frame, which stops thecarriage in such position that the edge of the sheet of paper is incorrect position for print ing, the pawl 10 at such time engaging the.

first tooth at the righthand end of the movable ratchet-bar 12. This barhas one end reduced, is extended through a bearing, 15, has a spiralspring, 16, placed about its reduced end to keep the bar pressed towardthe left, and the left-hand end of the said bar beyond the bearing 17 isbeveled, as at 18, to be acted upon by the wedge 14 referred to. Thewedge is depressed by the action against it of arm at on a rock-shaft,at, having attached to it the arm m the outer end of which is acted uponby the cross-piece a of lever a at each descent of the said lever. Asthe wedge 14 is depressed its end strikes the beveled end of the bar andpushes it to the right, (see Fig. 3,) causing one tooth of the bar topass beyond the pawl 10, attached to the carriage h, such movement ofthe bar compressing the spring 16. An impression having been made, thelever a is lifted and the arm m follows after, owing to the action of asuitable spiral spring wound about the rock-shaft m, such movement ofthe said shaft relieving thepressure of the arm m from the upper end ofthe wedge 14. This done the spiral spring 16 assumes control of andmoves the bar to ward the left, Fig. 3, carrying with it the pawl 10 andcarriage, and as the beveled end of the bar is carried to the left itacts to lift the wedge 14 until its tooth or projection engages a toothof the ratchet-bar 2', attached to the carriage, which projection servesto lock the can riage in position. In practice I shall employ twopawl-levers, A", and shall connect their rods B with slots at the outerend of lever a, so that there will be enough play to let one rod riseunder the control of one treadle, while the other rod descends, thuspermitting the lever a to be depressed very rapidly by first one andthen the other rod, each actuated by an independent treadle. The outerend of the lever a is held up by a spiral spring, 50. The arm an may bedepressed by the key 20, located outside the head 0, when it is desiredto move the carriage to space without printingf In the drawings I haveomitted the springs c from most of the keys 0 to avoid confusion. Thelower ends of the keys 0 are provided with adjustable ends or nuts 22,made adjustable on threads 23, the adjustment of the saidends-vertically on the keys enabling me to adjust the point at which thearm I) and plate I) shall be stopped to the greatest nicety. The spoolsor reels holding the ink-ribbon (2 may be actuated in any suitablemanner, prefer-a bly by a pawl-and-ratchet movement, whereby the ribbonmay be moved in either direction for a slight distance after eachimpression. The spools or reels d d have tubular axles slottedlongitudinally between their heads, as at 30, to permit the ends of theink-ribbon to be inserted through said slots, as in Fig. 11, eachspindle 31, which holds one of the said spools, being beveled or taperedat one end, as at 32, to enable the point of the spindle to pass theink-ribbonextended into the hollow axle of the spool, and the spoolhaving been placed on the spindle the full or unreduced part of thelatter back of its point acts to wedge the end of the said ribbonbetween the spindle and the interior of the axle. The end of thespindle, the spool having been placed thereon, is provided with aspring, 32, and nut 33, constituting a tension mechanism by which toproduce the necessary friction upon the spool to restrain its too freerotation or undue movement, which would slacken the ribbon. The spindleis provided with ashoulder to receive against it the inner head of thespool, and the inner end of each spindle is threaded, to be screwed intosuitable fixed ears of the frame, so that the said spindles may beturned into the said ears for a greater or less distance, thus enablingthe spools and the ink-ribbon to be adjusted laterally, so thatdifferent portions of the ribbon between its selvagesmay be used. Whenit is desired to return the carriage, the pawl-lifting lever a, pivotedthereon, is turned so that its short arm, suitably beveled, acts uponand lifts the said pawl from engagament with the sliding ratchet-bar,and at the same time the lever on is de pressed to push down the wedge14 sufficiently to remove the pin or projection from the ratchet bar orrack '6, attached to the carriage, and thereafter the carriage may bemoved freely. An impression having been made, and the arm I), connectedwith the shaft of the printing plate, having been released, theelbowlike pawl immediately engages a tooth of the continuously-rotatingratchet-wheel b and starts the printing-plate.

I am aware that type-forms composed of india-rubber have been employedin type-printing machines in connection with ink-pads; but a rubber typecannot be practically used in connection with an ink-ribbon.- The thinflexible electrotype printing-plate herein employed wilL preferably befrom three to ten one-thousandths of an inch in thickness, or a plate ofsuch thickness as would be formed by electro-deposition in from ten tofifteen hours, and the said plate when used bends as each impression ismade.

I am not aware that a flexible electrotypeplate was ever before used orknown in a typewriter. An electrotype-plate made thin and and at thesame time producing a surface which may be more easily applied andhandled.

I claim 1. The thin flexible electrotype printingplate and a support,(I, for the paper, combined with an impressionplunger to act upon, bend,and depress that part of the thin metal plate which is provided withcharacters to be imprinted upon the paper, substantially as described.

2. The thin flexible electrotype printingplate, combined with anink-ribbon, and with a support, (7, for the paperto be printed upon,substantially as described.

3. The thin flexible printing-plate, its attached rotating spindle,means, substantially as described, for rotating the latter, the arm I)and its pawl, the keys, and ink-ribbon, combined with a movableimpression plunger adapted to be depressed upon the upper side of thesaid printing-plate when the latter is to be sprung downward to print,substantially as set forth.

4. The thin flexible eleetrotype printingplate and perforated platebelow it, combined with an impression-plunger to strike against theupper side of the said plate, substantially as described.

5. The thin flexible electrotype-plate and rollers 3, tosupport the sameat its under side, combined with an impression-plunger to act upon anddepress the said plate between the said rollers, substantially asdescribed.

6. The rotating shaft, its gears 12 b the sleeve actuated by them, theratchet thereon, the printing-plate, the shaft to move it, and the armZ), attached to the said shaft, combined with a friction device toprevent rebound of the shaft carrying the printing-plate when the arm I)is arrested, substantially as described.

7. The printing-plate, the shaft b the arm I), and pawl pivoted thereon,combined with a key having an adjustable end, substantially asdescribed.

8. The support (Z for the paper, the flexible metallic electrotypeprinting plate, and the impression-plunger, combined with the impression-lever to operate the said plunger, substantially as described.

9. The support (1 for the paper, the flexible printing-plate, and theimpressionplunger, combined with the lever to operate the plunger, andwith the treadle mechanism to operate the said lever, substantially asdescribed.

10. The support (1 for the paper, the carriage, the flexibleprinting-plate, the ink-ribbon, the impression-plunger, and the levera,to move it, combined with the arm m and with means, substantially asdescribed, between the said arm and carriage to operate the latterintermittingly, as and for the purpose set forth.

11. The spool having the tubular slotted axle and the ink-ribbon,combined with the spindle extended through the said axle, and

adapted to clamp the end of the ink-ribbon, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES A. AMBLER.

Witnesses:

BERNIOE J. NoYEs, HENRY lVIARSH.

